Taiwan News Quick Take

Staff writer, with CNA

Tue, Sep 10, 2013 - Page 5

CHARITY

Rummage sale at TAS

The Taipei American School (TAS) Orphanage Club will host a gigantic rummage sale on Saturday. The club members have collected a huge variety of new and used clothing, shoes, toys, electronic items and miscellaneous other items. The sale begins at 10am and ends at 5pm, and will be held in the school’s forecourt and lobby rain or shine. All of the proceeds go to the club’s funds for needy children and orphans in Taiwan, the outlying islands and overseas. TAS is at 800 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 6 in Tianmu (天母).

CULTURE

Band performs in Jakarta

The Shock Concert Band on Sunday enchanted Taiwanese expatriates in Indonesia with a performance of classic Taiwanese pop songs in Jakarta, including The Moon Represents my Heart and New Endless Love. The band, which consists of volunteer brass and woodwind musicians, performs around Taiwan and abroad to promote Taiwanese music. The concert is part of a world tour by the band, which has performed in the US, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines since 2005. Band leader Meng Yi-chao (孟義超) said the group’s goal is to help the world know more about Taiwan through its performance of Taiwanese pop songs and folk music.

SOCIETY

Foot-washing event set

Nearly 13,400 people will take part in a “foot washing” activity next month that organizers hope will be included in Guinness World Records. Chang Chao-kuo (張朝國), head of a Yunlin County resident association, said 6,700 parent-child duos have registered to date for the event, which will be held in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on Oct. 12, the eve of Senior Citizens Day. The ritual demonstrates children’s appreciation of the love shown them by their parents and is a way for them to show respect, Chang said. The standard ritual calls for children to first bow to their parents, kneel to present them a cup of tea, massage and pound their backs, and then kneel on one knee to help wash their feet, the association said.

AGRICULTURE

Pre-festival imports boosted

Given the increased vegetables prices in the wake of heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Kong-Rey late last month, the Council of Agriculture plans to help agricultural groups import 2,080 tonnes of vegetable from overseas before the Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday next week. The heavy rainfall caused serious crop damage, and as demand for vegetables is expected to increase during the holiday, the council said it has already released 882 tonnes cabbages and Chinese cabbages kept refrigerated by agricultural groups and increased the supply of root and tuber vegetables to the fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Taipei since Aug. 21. An additional 120 tonnes of root and tuber vegetables, such as carrots, radishes and onions will be released before the holiday, it said. Vegetables have been ordered from overseas and the council said it communicated with the relevant agencies to shorten the period of time needed for border inspection, so that the vegetables can reach the market as soon as possible. The Agriculture and Food Agency said the imports — from the US, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, China and elsewhere, include cabbage, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, onions, pumpkins and radishes.